Caelum II: The Treasures of Light
by Brown Eyed Sage
Summary: His past has come back to haunt him. In order to protect the ones he holds dear, he has to retrieve not one, but three items long thought to have been lost.
1. The Arrest

_**A/N:** Woot! The sequel to Caelum: The Red Eye is finally up and running! Wow, I've got so much to say right now, but I don't know how to convey it... How about a little summary? This story takes place two years after the chapter before the epilogue and one year and six months after the epilogue. So a __little time has passed for our favorite characters. What have they been up to? This chapter should answer those questions and ask a whole lot more. *hehe* But as for the new readers that's discovering these stories for the first time and want to know whether or not you should check out the first before reading this, you can if you want to. There are a few references from that story in here but they're pretty small and you'll probably just glance at them and not notice anything. It would help to read it, but that's entirely up to you._

_So, with that said, I hope you enjoy the very first chapter of this story and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in your reviews._

* * *

_**Summary:** His past has come back to haunt him. In order to protect the ones he holds dear, he has to retrieve not one, but three items long thought to have been lost.  
**Rating:** T (language, blood, violence, mild suggestive themes)_

* * *

~1~  
The Arrest

"_We have resolved to endure the unendurable and suffer what is unsufferable.__"  
__-Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (reign: 1926-1989)_

If any person asked about the man that was walking along the street with a skip in his step, they'd say that he was up to something. But with the grin on his lips and the dazed look in his eyes, one could say that he was in love. It was true, of course, and he lets his girlfriend of one year know every day.

At times, the man still couldn't believe it. He'd wake up in the morning and expect to see the canopy of the Amazon jungle or a crumbling roof in the Middle East. Instead, he wakes up and sees a head of red hair and a pale complexion that would make a porcelain doll jealous. Then she opens her eyes and he's lost in her violet sets.

Yup, Sora Villiers was a lucky man.

Everyday in the last year, he always finds something new with her. More than what he had found during their adventure together across parts of Europe and outside of their roles as the archaeologist and the ex-mercenary.

Like that time when they were walking through the park and were just about to be mugged. He remembered the exchange that they had (and by exchange, they played rock, paper, scissors) before he let Kairi kick the knife out of the muggers hand and the poor man ran screaming.

_"Is this how you end all your dates?" he asked with a laugh as they continued their walk down the silent walkway, hands linking together._

_ "Only the ones that I like," she teased him as he let out another laugh._

_ "Don't I feel special then."_

_ A comfortable silence fell over them as they took in the scenery around them. The night was warm and the flicker of the street lights hummed a tranquil sound._

_ "Sora?" Kairi nearly whispered, but loud enough to grab his attention._

_ "Hm?"_

_ "You're crazy, right?"_

_ He gave her a crooked eyebrow._

_ "What's that suppose to mean?"_

_ The words caught up in her head as realization dawned on her._

_ "I'm sorry. That's not what I meant."_

_ "Then what _do_ you mean?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look._

_ "Don't you..." she trailed._

_ "Don't I what?"_

_ She stopped before him as she looked quizzically up at him._

_ "How do you feel about me, Sora?"_

_ He let out a small laugh._

_ "Now I get what you mean by crazy."_

_ It was her turn to give him a crooked eyebrow._

_ "And what's that supposed to mean?"_

_ "You know that I never felt the same for anybody before you. You're the one that drives me nuts," he said as he looked straight into her eyes._

_ "And?"_

_ "You want to hear me say 'I love you', right?"_

_"If it isn't too much to ask."_

_ "Kairi," he sighed, taking both her hands into his. "I'm crazy about you and I want to do things to you that'll drive you up the wall." She blushed a tomato red and seemed to thank the dim lights. "I'm insane about you, Kairi."_

_ She gave him an endearing look that was somewhat teasing._

_ "You still haven't said it."_

_ "Why say it when you know the answer?"_

_ She shrugged._

_ "Reassurance, I guess."_

_ "Kairi," he said as he took a step closer to her. "I'm in love with you."_

* * *

Sora walked out of a store with confidence swelling in his chest as a large grin graced his face. Today was the day. All of his planning was going to be fulfilled. No doubts crossed his mind as the year replayed in his head. Some memories were good, others... not so great. He'd prefer not to remember, but some things inch into his head that he wished would ebb away.

_ "You and the elderly must be the only people in the world to still read the newspaper." He looked up from the newspaper to see the lovely red head staring down at him with a playful smile. A smug grin graced his face as he saw that she was only wearing his t-shirt._

_ "You calling me old, Farron?" he teased her back as he watched her take a sip of coffee from her mug. Her eyes glancing upward, she appeared to be deep in thought._

_ "Hmm... maybe," she answered as she stepped away to pour herself another cup._

_ "For your information, I'm only looking at the obituaries." He watched her lift an eyebrow._

_ "Why? Someone you might recognize?"_

_ "You never know," he shrugged as she looked at him like another head had popped out of his shoulder. "What? I have a lot of enemies, I just want to see if any of them were in town, or at least their aliases. It gives me less to worry about."_

_ "I'll never understand your line of work," she sighed._

_ "I'm fine with that. The less you know the better."_

_ "I'm trusting you on that." She trailed her fingers across his shoulders as she walked back over to him, earning a shiver from him. "So, old man, are you up for some exhausting work?"_

_ He looked up to her and saw the lust glinting in her eyes._

_ "How about we skip the metaphor match and go straight to the bedroom?" he smirked._

_ "So early in the morning? You think you can handle that?"_

_ "I think you know what I'm capable o – huh?" his eyes glanced down at the paper for one second as a name surfaced to his eyes._

_ "What's wrong?" Kairi asked as she looked worried down at him, his eyes never leaving the newspaper._

_ "Somebody finally did my dad in," he announced as she held in a gasp._

_ "Are you sure?"_

_ "That's his name and birthday," he pointed to the obituary that held his father's name as Kairi sank down to the chair next to him and grabbed his hand._

_ "You okay, Sora?" she asked with concern lacing her features._

_ "You kidding me? I'm ecstatic."_

_ Shock traced her features as she drew her hand away from his like it was a toad._

_ "What?"_

_ "The asshole can finally rot in hell."_

_ "So... you're not upset?"_

_ "He left my mom while she was pregnant with me and has been scamming people for money, which no doubt has come back to bite him in the ass from time to time, and basically called me a mistake. Why should I be upset?"_

_ She sighed, she can't argue with that logic._

_ "Good point. But he's still your dad."_

_ "He hasn't been my dad since the day I was born," he grunted as he took a deep breath to look at his red head with a suggestive glance. "So, are we off to the bedroom or what?"_

_ "You know what?" she asked as she got up from her seat. "I'm going to get myself ready and leave for school. Students don't teach themselves."_

_ She sauntered off as Sora baffled at her statement._

_ "Oh come on! That's really stupid!" He received only silence. "He's an asshole, Kairi!" he continued to shout but as her silence prevailed, he slumped into his chair and stared up at the ceiling. "Two seconds and everything went blue."_

* * *

Kairi didn't speak to him again until two days later when he finally apologized for his behavior. Even though he thought he was in his right mind when he said those things. Regardless, they've moved on and had that fairy tale life style again.

He held in a laugh. A couple years ago he would've thought the idea to be absolutely ridiculous. Him and Kairi. Living together under normal circumstances. But here he was, about to meet his red head for a lunch date at the very same café where he'd met her again after six months of silence.

It wasn't his idea to go into hiding for that long. Riku had suggested it so that the two would disappear under the radar. After finding out that a cop infiltrated the Organization, it would be a no-brainer that he would report Sora and Riku to every agency in the world.

So, the two men spent six months hiding in jungles in South America and in rat holes in every slum until no one was looking for them. Then information came in from none other than Ansem that no one was looking for a 'Sora Villiers' but a 'Tidus Caelum' instead. Riku had an easier time. Seeing as he hadn't committed a crime since he left Xehanort's bunch, no one would suspect him for a thing. There was no proof that he was in the group and no evidence of his involvement. He was free to roam around without looking over his shoulder.

The two were free men and are able to go wherever they please.

Sora spotted the café and quickly made his way over. Nervousness suddenly gripped his nerves like a vice as questions of doubt raced through his mind. What's going to happen? How will this end? What will he do?

However, as soon as he saw his lovely red head through the window, waiting patiently for him, his doubts cleared and knew how she would react. He gingerly tapped the glass and watched as she looked up from grading a paper and sent him a loving smile. He stepped in to the café and made his over to her table.

"Hello there, beautiful," he said as he pecked Kairi's lips before taking his seat across from her.

"Hey," she replied as she clicked her pen before putting it down.

"Been waiting long?"

"Nah. Just arrived," she smiled. "So, why did you want to meet here?"

"Memories, I guess. It's a good place, don't you think?"

She laughed.

"Sure," she shrugged. "So what's this all about?"

He called her earlier and asked if they could meet up for lunch. She had no problems, but she found it strange that Sora would pick the one place where they had reunited a year ago. The last time they were here was six months ago, when they celebrated the one year anniversary of their reunion.

He gave a teasing smile as he leaned his arms on the table.

"Thought this would be a good place," he simply stated as she lifted an eyebrow.

"For what?" she asked curiously.

Nervousness flooded back into his mind. The words that he practiced in his head suddenly disappeared and he found himself searching high and wide for them.

"Kairi. You mean a lot to me and well..." he started and found his heart caught in his throat.

"Okay. And what?" she probed, finding herself concerned with the sudden change in his appearance.

"This all too new for me..." he voiced his thoughts.

"You've said that a few times." It was true, he did say that throughout the year that they've been together.

"And I mean it too," he stated as he reached across the table and took her hand into his. "There's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

He took a deep breath and thought "to hell with it" and took the plunge.

"Kairi, would you-"

"Sora Villiers?"

Sora mentally cursed at the person that had the gall to interrupt him.

"Yeah?" he asked, not looking up.

"Would you please stand up."

Sora found that strange. Why would this stranger want him to stand up. Unless... no. He didn't recognize the voice so it can't be one of his enemies. Who then?

He decided to oblige the man's request and started getting out of his seat.

"What's this about-hey!" Before he could get his question out, the man before him swiftly took his arm, twisted it behind his back, took hold of Sora's neck, and slammed him on the table.

"What are you doing?!" he heard Kairi yell.

"Sora Villiers, or shall I say Tidus Caelum," Sora heard the man and instantly felt his stomach drop and defeat embraced his features as he felt the handcuffs on his wrists. "You are under arrest for aiding the master terrorist, Xehanort. You have the right to remain silent and anything you say or do will be held against you in the court of law. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you by the District of Columbia."

The man then forcefully lifted him up by his shoulder and guiding him out of the café.

"Sora. No!" he heard Kairi's frantic yell as they left through the door and towards a black SUV. He watched the man open the door and he took the chance to look at his red head and give her a reassuring smile, only to see her horror struck face.

"Kairi, it's okay. We both knew this day would come," he said as he felt a tug on his arm again and he found himself in the back seat of the SUV.

"Excuse me, I would like to know who's pressing charges," he heard Kairi ask the man. Sora managed to steal a glance at the man, only to see the back of his blond head facing the brunette.

"That's none of your concern, Ma'am."

"Yes it is. My name is Dr. Kairi Farron. My grandfather, Ansem Farron, the director of Interpol, dropped the charges held against Sora," she explained to the man.

"Then it's him you should to talk to. Ma'am."

The man closed the car door, locking in Sora and preventing him from escaping.

* * *

He always hated the color orange, and now he knew why. He was forced to put on the jumpsuit as soon as he arrived at the prison. It was a tacky color and it didn't go well with the silver handcuffs. He wasn't complaining though, mainly because he had a mosquito buzzing around his head and it took form of the blond haired man that arrested him.

Sora finally got a good look at the man. His blond hair was curled at the tips and held up by gel, his eyebrows were furrowed while his brown eyes bore down at Sora like an insect waiting to meet its end by a newspaper, and his color choice seemed to be green as his clothes were in some variations of the color along with a white dress shirt and dark green neck tie.

The man was currently holding a pretty thick file as he paced around the interrogation room with Sora sitting at a steel table with his handcuffs tied to the concrete floor.

"Interpol, FBI, CIA, Mossad, MI6, and the list just goes on and on," the man listed as he snapped the folder shut and sent a hard glare at the brunette. "Gotta say, Villiers. You must be the world's most dumbest criminal. Coming back to the one place you'll know wouldn't hesitate to put you on death row."

Sora let out a slight laugh.

"I didn't come back here to get caught if that's what you're thinking," he answered.

"You trying to tell me you came back just so you can be with that girl?"

"May sound stupid for you, but that girl is worth killing for."

"So you killed for her then? Maybe we should bring her in too."

"No!" Sora jumped and then realized that it was a trap and he fell right for it. "The people I killed were before I met her. Anybody else after was to protect her. They were very bad people," he explained.

"So you thought you'd justify your actions by killing those that would in fact hurt her." Sora didn't answer to that. "Is that why you had this in your pocket?" The man stuck his hand into his own pocket and retrieved a small plastic evidence bag. He placed it before Sora, and he could see the small red velvet box through the clear plastic. "Must be pretty damn special then. So, how did you meet?"

Sora held in a grunt. He wasn't going to be riled up by this man.

"That has nothing to do with this," he stated.

"I'm sorry. After all, it is my job to interrogate," the man said with sarcasm dripping his words. To that, the corner of Sora's mouth curled up into a smirk.

"Gotta say, you're doing a damn good job. Why else would I be cooperating?"

Suddenly, the side of his face stung from pain as he watched the man before him retract his fist and shook off the dull pain.

"It's pretty unwise to mock me, Villiers. Now tell me, why should a jury listen to a goddamn word you say?"

"They would sympathize with me." He earned a raised eyebrow from the blond man. "Think about it, I was an impressionable eighteen-year-old when I met Xehanort. Thought everything he said was the word of God. I don't know what he has told you, but I can assure you that everything he says are mostly lies. He's a master manipulator. How else would I go along with everything he said?"

"Because you were an impressionable eighteen-year-old. A dog to his master. But how is it that you manage to get away when every cop in Peru stormed his hide out?"

"Something tells me the cops down there didn't find all the secret passages," Sora began. "Xehanort's not an idiot. He's ten steps ahead of everyone and whatever bullshit he fed you would only benefit him. But something tells me that he's still pissed at me for getting away for so long. How long has it been? Four... five years now?"

"You don't know when to shut up, do ya? You nervous?"

"About what? Going to jail? That's nothing," Sora scoffed. "I've been to other jails in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, you name it. Even then, they don't hold a candle to the hell I've already seen with Xehanort. So what did he tell you anyway? Catch this guy and you'll be closer to saving the world?"

It was the man's turn to smile mockingly at him.

"Well, I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news. But Xehanort is no longer our biggest concern." Sora lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear? He was killed in a prison riot last year."

The sole door to the room opened and a prison guard stepped in and walked towards the brunette.

"I'm sorry, Special Agent Dincht. Villiers has visitors," the guard said as he unlocked Sora's tie to the floor and lifted him by the arm.

"Well, I'd say that's good timing. But I'm the last person to say that, right?" he mused, remembering his interrupted question earlier in the day.

* * *

The guard that held the brunette guided him to the visitor's windows, where the most dangerous can talk with friends, colleagues, and loved ones without doing anything stupid. He sat down on the stool and, as best he could with his handcuffed wrists, picked the phone off its cradle from where it was sitting on the wall and rested the receiver to his ear. He glanced out the window and saw his silver haired friend who recently had a haircut and sporting a baseball cap. Sora understood why his friend did so, he would've done the same in his position.

"Hey," he heard Riku's deep voice through the phone.

"What're you doing here?" Sora asked.

"Thought I'd say hi, and Kairi contacted me."

"Is she here?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, you'll talk to her in a minute. I'd like to know what happened."

Sora rolled his eyes, not wanting to relive everything in his head.

"I don't know what happened. This Special Agent Dincht just came up to us and arrested me on the spot. _Somebody_ must've ratted me out," he eyed his friend and watched as Riku shook his head.

"Don't look at me, I'd be just as deep as you if they got me too." Sora let out a frustrated sigh. He hated this predicament very much. "Got any ideas?"

The brunette straightened up as he looked seriously at Riku.

"Maybe, but it's stupid."

"Try me."

"_Him._"

He watched the silver haired man's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Sora you do know that he's dead. Right?"

"Do you _honestly_ believe everything you hear on the news?"

"Point taken. But why?"

"Don't have a clue. No offense, but he should be after your ass, not mine."

"None taken. If I were him, I'd go after me too." Riku let out a sigh as the brunette watched him try to connect the dots in his head. "Sora, did you do something that would piss him off?"

"I dunno. Maybe because I ran?"

"If that were the case, maybe I should go into hiding. Never know, right?"

Sora nodded in agreement.

"I want to talk to her," he said, feeling that his conversation with Riku was over and desperately wanting to talk to someone that wasn't too heavily involved. He watched the silver haired man get up and signal to someone he couldn't see. Then his red head sat down and lifted the phone up to her ear, staring at him through the glass that separated the two.

"Hey," Kairi simply said, giving him a worried look as he smiled at her.

"Hey, babe," he said to her.

"Sora, what's this about?" she asked worriedly.

"Apparently, somebody ratted me out for what I've done before I met you."

She lifted a skeptical eyebrow.

"Why now?"

"Don't know. Maybe they have a sore spot?"

She averted her gaze to the table in front of her.

"I talked to Ansem. He said that the charges were in fact dropped, anything else is beyond him. Even with his status."

"So this is for something else then..." the brunette trailed as a thought crossed his mind. "Kairi? Remember after we met and I told you about my time with Xehanort?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got a theory, but maybe he's the one that put me in here?"

"Why? I thought he was dead."

"As I've told our friend here, I don't have any idea. But he's a master mind though, so it wouldn't be beyond him." Her face was downcast and it was one of those looks that he thought he would never see again. "Hey, look at me." She did as she was told and brought her gaze back to his reassuring smile. "Everything's going to be all right. Whoever's pulling the strings, they don't know who they're messing with."

"Sora... What if you get the death penalty?"

"Then I'll be an old man on death row before that happens." She didn't find that funny at all. She would've scowled at him if it weren't for the fact that she was concerned for his well being. "Hey, don't make that face. It's going to be all right."

"Sora... I thought you died in Ios. I may have looked all right to my colleagues but I was still hurting. I don't want to go through that again."

"And you won't. I promise that I'll get back to you. You're strong, Kairi. You can get through this," he said as he put his hand on the glass that separated the two. "Love you, Kairi."

She brought her own hand up to the glass and placed it where Sora's hand laid.

"Love you too." She put the phone back on the cradle and got up from her seat. Sora did the same only with a guard dragging him by his arm. On his way out, he saw the blond haired Special Agent and held in an annoyed groan as he passed by the man.

"You shouldn't of lied to her," the blond man said.

"At least she's at ease."

"So what's this about Ios? That where you kidnapped her?"

"Nope. That was here in DC," the brunette teased, earning a glare from the Agent. "Gotta bump up the security in the ventilation shafts."

"Don't mock me, Villiers."

Sora merely shrugged.

"Not my fault you have a deplorable system."

* * *

_**A/N: **Huh? Well? Did you pee your pants yet? No? Just wait. This story is going to be a doozy in comparison to the last._

_That said, don't forget to review using the review box below and let me know what you think._

_See you with the next chapter!_

_Much love._


	2. The Call

_**A/N: **Here comes chapter 2. Thanks to everyone that showed their support for the first chapter!_

* * *

~2~  
The Call

"Hey. What's a baby face like you doin' here?"

Sora held in a groan. He knew this would happen sooner or later and to be frank, he didn't give a shit about the two large thugs that stood before him. He just wanted to eat his jail cafeteria food in peace.

"If you want me to be your bitch, forget it. What I'm in for will make you cringe," he said as he took a bite of his gruel.

He heard the thugs laugh.

"That so? Why don't you try me," one of them said mockingly down at him.

"Fine. You asked for it." The brunette put his spoon down and gave the two large men his coldest stare. "I'm in here because I was the apprentice of Master Xehanort." He got his desired effect. The two men gasped and took two steps away from Sora. He smirked, not completely proud of his title, but it help when he wanted to be left alone. "Told you that'd make you cringe."

He watched the two men share a skeptical glance.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"You want to try me?" Sora drawled with a daring look that frightened them even more. "Thought so."

"He had plenty of apprentices. What makes you any special?"

"He taught me everything I know, so that means I know how dismember someone in two hundred different ways," he said very impassively. He got his wish when the two thugs walked away with fear in their eyes.

Again, he wasn't proud of what he did, but it left him alone.

"Villiers." Sora let out an irritated sigh as he turned to see one of the guards approaching him. "You have a call."

"More interrogating? Think I'm gonna spill some more?" The guard glared at him and he hung his head in defeat. "Fine. Make it quick, I feel a nap coming."

* * *

Apparently, Sora misunderstood when the guard said that he got a call, he literally meant that he got a phone call. The brunette merely shrugged it off as he was lead to the wall of pay phones where a specific phone waited for him. The guard pointed to which one and Sora picked up the phone from its cradle.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Sora?" A bad chill went up his spine, yet he wasn't completely surprised. He recognized the graveled voice and his defenses immediately went up.

Xehanort.

"Thought this stunk enough, and I was right to think so," he spat into the phone. "What do you want?"

"Think that low of me, Sora? What would give you the idea that I want something?" Just as slimy as ever, Sora had thought.

"Because you always wanted something. 'Kill him, kill her, kill that child, they might grow up to exact vengeance.' It was always what you wanted, never any of us. The only reason we stayed was the money."

He heard the old man chuckle.

"You were always my favorite student, Sora. And for a good reason of course, you were never one to ask questions later. Look where that brought you."

"Because of you," he snapped back as an unsettling feeling landed in his stomach. "Something tells me that if I don't agree to whatever it is you want, I'm stuck in here."

Somehow, the brunette could feel Xehanort's infamous smirk.

"Another reason why you were my favorite student."

"So what is it?" Sora demanded as a pause passed.

"Sanshu no jingi."

The brunette lifted a confused eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Never heard of them?"

"Sounds like a disease."

"They're ancient treasures."

Sora scoffed into the phone.

"In that case, not my department."

"I heard about your exploits in Greece and Italy. How you found the Sword of Peleus and the girl you were with."

Anger shot through his system in less than a millisecond. "Leave her out of this," he hissed.

"I told you not to get too close to someone. She has completely dominated you. Now you don't see the possibilities finding these treasures would bring to you."

"More like she has shown me how much of a jackass I've been. And that whatever you want me to do, I'd rather sit on death row."

Another pause passed and the brunette could almost tell that the old man was plotting something.

"She seems rather nice. Shame she might be pulled in. A very smart child, I would say. I would be too if I ever got a PhD," Xehanort said very calmly.

"I told you to leave her out of this," Sora practically yelled.

"You want me to leave her alone, do your research and go find the treasures." Sora was silent after that. It was all Xehanort needed as he hummed, "There's a good lad. Oh and if you tell anyone about this, her blood will be on your hands."

The line went dead after that. Sora's mind was a complete blank. He couldn't think. He couldn't breath.

Before he could think about moving, he slammed phone back on its cradle.

He played right into Xehanort's hands.

"Shit."

* * *

"You want me to what?" Kairi asked into the phone while drinking her evening tea.

"Just go up to the guy behind the desk and ask. He'll give you something," she heard Sora say to her, adding on to her confusion.

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise."

She held in a groan.

"Sora, what's going on?"

"Nothing you should worry about."

Something was wrong. He sounded like this was the last time that they would see each other even though she planned on visiting after her lectures.

"I want to see you," she said.

"Me too," she heard him sigh. "But you promise though, right?"

"Yes, I'll come and get whatever it is you want me to have."

"Thanks. I love you, Kairi."

"Yeah. I love you too."

She pressed the button that ended the call. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and it has been right a few times in her life previously.

She knew something was going on and she actually debated whether or not she should investigate.

* * *

Sora was happy that he was not claustrophobic, otherwise he would've found the six by six cell extremely uncomfortable. But nope, he was actually a little content. Maybe it was because he was soaking in his last moments of freedom (as ironic as that sounds.) It wouldn't be long before Xehanort sent in one of his cronies to bust the brunette out.

He made it very clear that he didn't want to leave and endanger the woman that he loved, but he couldn't deny Xehanort's power over him. He knew that the old man would keep his word to do her harm if Sora didn't cooperate. He found the whole situation pretty bullshit, but what could he do? Defy Xehanort and Kairi winds up dead.

It wasn't fair, but who was he to argue against the master terrorist.

Suddenly, he heard the locks in his cell door click and the low groan of the door swinging open. Sora got up from his bed and stood up, expecting to see a large hulking man with a large weapon hanging off his back. Instead, he saw a small-framed woman with chestnut brown hair that curled at the tips and apple green eyes staring directly at him.

"You, Sora?" she checked as he merely crossed his arms over his chest. Was this the best Xehanort could send? Then again, he didn't know anything about this woman and he learned in the past that women who worked under Xehanort were maniacs.

"Who wants to know?" he asked daringly only to watch her roll her eyes.

"The shadow hides those that wish to be unseen."

Yup, Xehanort sent her all right.

"So he sent you to get me, huh?"

"That's how the deal goes. You come with me and your girlfriend is safe."

"He's never about choices," he chuckled as the woman stared at him in irritation.

"You want to save her or not?"

"I'm coming," he said as he walked over to her. "Don't know why he even sent you, I could've gotten out myself."

"He said you needed to be cooperative," the woman said as she started leading him towards the exit.

"Sounds like he thinks I need a babysitter," Sora mused as they skulked the cell blocks and did their best not to be heard. "So, what kind of blackmail did he get you with?"

"What makes you think it's blackmail?" she stared accusingly at him as they turned a corner.

"Why else would he have a cute girl on his side?"

"I'll have you know that I joined willingly with him."

He let out a silent scoff.

"Please, he's has everyone wrapped around his pinky."

"Didn't he get you out of sympathy?"

"Hardly. He manipulated me and my then-best friend into joining."

"Sounds like you want out."

"I've been out for five years," Sora countered.

"You must be good to recruit you again."

"I'm sure he has told you all about it."

They could see the exit and crept their way towards the doors. What Sora didn't expect was that it was actually the front gate. They literally walked out the front door.

The woman guided him across the street as he wondered how they accomplished such a feat. The security cameras must've been cut as well as all the alarms. Xehanort's good, he'll give him that.

"We're suppose to wait here," he heard the woman say as they waited by the curb. They didn't wait for very long because a black SUV pulled up in front of them. The woman opened the door and looked expectantly at him. "Get in."

"Okay, I'm going," he conceded as he climbed into the back seat where a set of black clothes lay waiting for him. Even his signature crown necklace sat lying on top of the pile. His necklace got confiscated in the prison since the pointed tips could be seen as a weapon. He picked up the crown to see if it really was his and was satisfied when he saw the deep scratch on the back side.

"So what's your name?" he asked the brown haired woman that sat in the middle as he put his necklace back on.

"Dr. Olette Nabaat," he shot his head up as soon as he heard her title.

"Doctor?"

"That's right." He found that a little disturbing.

"Sora Villiers," he simply responded as he started changing out of his orange jumpsuit. "So, what kind of doctor are you?"

"If you must know, I _was_ a surgeon."

Sora paused as he was slipping the black long-sleeve shirt on.

"A surgeon? As in a real doctor?"

"That's correct."

"So, what happened? Why'd Xehanort pick you to babysit me?"

A hesitant pause passed over them, and despite the fact that Sora could only see the back of her head, he could tell that her eyes shifted downward.

"You wouldn't understand."

He had to roll his eyes at that statement. _He_ wouldn't understand? _Him_ of all people?

"Look, I'm gonna level with you. Whatever reason Xehanort got you into this, he's doing it for himself. He doesn't care what's gonna happen to you. Only the prize at the end."

"As long as we're leveling with each other here, let me remind you that the reason you're in this is to protect your girlfriend."

"Yeah. That's true," he shrugged at that reason. "I got her a ring."

"What?"

That got her attention.

"Yeah. I was gonna ask her when I got arrested. Perfect timing right?"

"I'll say."

"Doesn't matter now. In the morning when she comes to visit, she'll find out."

Another pause passed as the brown haired male finished changing into his new black clothes and put on a winter jacket.

"Xehanort told me a lot about you. You've killed a lot of people and yet you went and fell in love."

Sora let out a slight laugh.

"Yeah well, that's Kairi. There's a lot about her that attracted me."

"We'll be there soon," Olette said abruptly, earning a quirked eyebrow from the male brunette.

"Where are we going anyway?" he asked.

"The private air field. We'll be leaving for Japan as soon as we get there."

"Japan?"

"Yeah, that's where the treasures are. Didn't he tell you?"

"Nope, but now I think about it, I think he said something to me in Japanese."

Olette shrugged while holding in an eye roll.

"It's a start."

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ And that's chapter 2! Hope you guys liked it and I hope this gets you excited for chapter 3. ^_^__  
_

**_Special thanks: _**_ , Scarlett-95, Evil Dark Knight, and Gohan Roxas for your kind words. And a special thanks to greypurpleblack for beta-ing this chapter and the last._

**_Author's question: _**_Who's your favorite character in the Caelum series?_

_Leave your response in the review as well as what you thought of the chapter!_

_Much love!_


	3. The Contact

**_A/N: _**_Get ready your drinks, you're about to spit it back out._

* * *

~3~  
The Contact

"What?!" The blond haired Special Agent yelled into the phone. He had gotten into work in the J. Edgar Hoover building no more than an hour ago. The Villiers case file on his desk stared up at him almost mockingly. "What do you mean he escaped?!"

"I'm sorry, sir. He's not in his cell."

The Agent growled out of frustration as he rubbed his forefinger and thumb between his eyes. "Did night-vision catch anything?"

"It conveniently shut off between when he was in his cell and when he wasn't."

The blond slammed the phone back onto its cradle. Incredible. He knew that Xehanort's apprentices were good, but he didn't think they would ever find a way out of a high max security prison.

He picked up the phone again and started dialing a new number, hoping the guy was awake despite the three hour time difference.

"Almesy," he heard the groggy voice and was thankful that his friend at least picked up the phone.

"Hey, Roxas. It's me," the Agent said, calmly.

"Hayner? What's up? Aren't you suppose to be at work?"

"I'm there. Did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I was going to wake up anyway. Something you need?"

"No, it's just the investigation I'm caught in."

"Are you allowed to talk about it?"

"Not officially."

"So why call me?"

"Don't you have one of those cases where it's not going in the direction it should?"

"Every now and then, yeah."

Hayner heard a moan in the background and stiffled a laugh.

"That your girlfriend?"

"Yup."

"She's at your place?"

"She spent the night, yeah."

"My belated congrats."

"Shut up." Hayner let out a laugh. He could always depend on Roxas to bring him out of a foul mood. "By the way, how goes the search for Olette?"

A heavy lead feeling entered Hayner's chest as his free hand automatically went into his pocket. "Still going," he responded with a dull tone.

"Sorry to hear that. Hope you find her."

"Yeah, me too," he sighed while another agent walked into his office to drop off another case file. "I gotta go. Work's calling."

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"Later."

He hung up the phone, feeling worse than he did before.

* * *

"Doctor Kairi Farron?"

"That's me," Kairi responded. She had arrived at the prison no less than five minutes ago. At the reception window she'd told the guard behind the desk that she was there to pick up something. The thing that Sora wanted her to have.

"Here you go," the guard said as he slipped an evidence bag through the small hole at the bottom of the window as the red head picked it up.

"Thank you," she said as confusion was crossing her features.

"Doctor Farron." She turned around and saw the blond haired man from yesterday walk up to her. She hid her disdain as best as she could as she watched him reach his hand out to her. "Special Agent Hayner Dincht. I'm the one handling your boyfriends case."

"Yeah, I remember," she said, swallowing her bite. He took his hand back as she didn't make a move to shake it.

"Would you come with me? I have a few questions to ask you."

"Uh, sure." He led her to an office that she figured out was the warden's as she listened to what this Special Agent had to say. He told her what had happened as shock coursed through her veins. "Escaped?"

"That's right. While everyone was asleep." The obvious hit her across the face like a frying pan. Of course Sora wouldn't stay long in the prison. He told her once that walls could never contain him, that he would always escape. She thought it might be different this time, but oh how wrong she was. "You wouldn't happen to know where he went, do you?"

"Uh, no. Not at all," she said with honesty as she shook her head.

The Agent lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Aren't you close though?"

"I meant that he has no where to go. His parents are dead and he has no other relatives. The only place he'd go are my apartment or out of the country. And even then, only God knows where he'd go."

"I see. Well, if it makes you feel better, there's a cop car sitting outside your building. If he goes there, we'll catch him on the spot." Kairi couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat as Hayner gave her a skeptical look. "Is there something funny?"

"Yeah. You'll never catch him."

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"If you knew him like I do, then he's out of reach."

"You are aware that he was under Xehanort, right?"

"Yeah. He told me everything."

"Everything?" His eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"That's right."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he trusts me, and I trust him."

The blond held in an annoyed sigh.

"Don't get me wrong here, but aren't you suppose to be, oh I dunno, smart? Why would you get involved with a bastard like him?"

"You don't know what we've been through together," she said in a near whisper as memories replayed in her head.

"Enlighten me then."

"Even if I did, you wouldn't believe me. Hell, I don't believe half of it myself."

"So what makes it believable?"

"That we went through with it. I still get nightmares every now and then. Can I leave? I feel that I've answered everything," she added as the feeling of discomfort came over her.

"Yeah. And thanks."

She didn't say a word as she got up from her seat as proceeded out of the office. Leaving a frustrated blond with more questions than answers.

* * *

Kairi found the whole thing disturbing. It was all too coincidental. Sora being sent to prison only to escape? Something was definitely not right. She'll have to call Riku and see what he thinks.

However, she'll never get the chance.

A black limousine pulled up beside her as two large men stepped out and grabbed her by the arms.

"Ahh! Let me go!" she yelled but the demand fell on deaf ears as she was ungracefully shoved in through the open back door. It took her a moment right herself up as the door slam shut behind her. "What the hell's going on?!" she continued to yell and she was silenced by a laugh.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Dr. Farron."

She looked to the source of the voice just so she could give him a withering glare, but that quickly vanished and a dark chill ran down her spine. There he was, sitting across from her. A bald man with a gray goatee growing out of his chin with orange eyes that sent fear throughout her body. A long leather jacket cover his white button up shirt and black pants tucked into mid-calf high boots.

"You," she breathed as she watched Xehanort's expression turned to amusement. "You're supposed to be dead."

"Amazing what someone of my influence can do," he simply stated, the gravely tone of his voice drawing her attention. "But enough about me. How are you feeling, Dr. Farron?"

"About being kidnapped? Not particularly happy."

"Yes, this is your second time, isn't it?" She held in a bite as the thought of how he knew surfaced in her mind. He winked at her knowingly as if he read her mind. "It's all right. I have enough resources to tell me what happened."

"You're the one that put Sora in jail," she accused as the realization dawned on her.

"Only if he met my requirements."

"Sorry to say, but it looks like your dog got loose," she smirked, hoping that Sora was far enough away to out of this monster's reach.

"I'm well aware of it."

Her face fell. "What?"

"Who do you think got him out?"

She still stared in confusion. "Why?"

"It seems he needs... motivation." She was still confused until... She mentally cursed herself as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He laughed as he watch the dots connect in Kairi's head. "Oh don't you worry, nothing will happen to you. If he cooperates, that is. Your role is to provide information for him."

"O-On what?"

* * *

"The Three Sacred Treasures?"

"That's right," Olette nodded as she was sitting at the desk in their hotel room. It was an eleven hour flight from New York to Tokyo, and the two adults could feel it. Sora only needed a day to get over the initial jet lag; Olette needed a bit longer, but Sora managed to convince her that they needed to do their jobs as quickly as possible. They waited out a day in the two-bed hotel room with one lone computer and the provided equipment.

"And these things are real?" he asked with skepticism tracing his features.

"Very much, you can find information everywhere, from history books to legends to the internet."

"And this... Ama-whatever-"

"Amaterasu," Olette corrected.

"Yeah, that. What about it?"

"Well, _she_ is the goddess of the sun and is basically the Zeus and Odin of Shinto."

He glared down at the floor. "Wish Kairi were here. She can make heads and tails put of this sort of crap."

"Well, for the time being, you're stuck with me." The brunette let out an irritated sigh.

"So why does Xehanort want these treasures anyway? Get rich or...?"

She shrugged. "I'll admit, I'm stumped. But his orders were to retrieve them."

"So what are they, anyhow? The treasures, I mean."

"A sword, a mirror, and a jewel."

_Great, another sword, _he mentally groaned while holding in a grunt. The last thing he needed was to retrieve another mythological sword. "So what do they do?"

"Not really sure." He sent her a glare and she took offense. "What? I operate on people for a living. Anyway, at least we know where they are."

"We do?" he asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"Yup. The mirror is in the Ise Shrine, the sword is in the Atsuta Shrine, and the jewel is in the Imperial Palace."

"Okay..." Sora trailed as he rubbed a finger against his chin thoughtfully, earning a raised eyebrow from the female companion.

"What?"

"No offense, but this sounds way too easy."

"To you, maybe," Olette muttered.

"How long have you been at this?" he asked after he heard her almost hesitant tone.

"Four months."

Before the male brunette could ask more questions, the computer started beeping. They both had the same idea as to who might be calling them. Sora walked over to the computer as his eyes rolled up.

"I wonder who that could be," he deadpanned with as much sarcasm as he could muster. He hit the enter button and the monitor popped up a video conference screen, presenting the image of an older man with a plotting gaze staring up at Sora with malicious amusement.

"How are things?" Xehanort inquired.

"On the way," Sora said, robotic like.

"Progress?"

"I'm informing Mr. Villiers about what we're after," Olette supplied as she came to stand beside Sora.

"Nice work, Dr. Nabaat," Xehanort praised as he turned his gaze to the male brunette. "And Sora, there's someone here that wants to talk to you."

A cold chill went down his spine.

"You didn't," he hissed at the old man as the screen changed and staring up at him was a confused-looking red haired woman. "Kairi!" he yelled as he slammed his hands against the desk. "That asshole didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No. I'm fine. Sora, what's going on?"

He gritted his teeth. Seeing her, looking so confused and demanding to know the answers, tore into his chest as anger ruptured to the surface.

"Take a wild guess," he hissed.

"Sora..."

"Believe me, I don't want to do this, but-"

"That's enough," Xehanort's voice cut in as Kairi's face disappeared in a flash.

"No, wait!" he bellowed as he saw the old man's face smirk up at him. "You're a sick bastard," he spat at the screen.

"Now you know what's at stake here."

Sora let out a grunt. This was all incredibly frustrating! Xehanort now has him at every curve. Unless...

"How about a deal?"

"Oh?" That grabbed his attention.

"Kairi can get you any information that you want. Let her work with me, and I can get your treasures a lot faster."

Xehanort looked amusingly up at the male brunette. "You think I was born yesterday? The second you reunite, you'll run off together. I'm not taking that chance," he said and then added commandingly: "Work with Dr. Nabaat and get those treasures."

With that, the screen turned black and Sora stared at his own reflection. Anger traced every wrinkle on his face.

"Bastard," he hissed

"Sora. I'm sorry," he heard Olette's sympathetic tone as he let out an irritated sigh.

"Don't be. I shot myself in the foot there." He felt the need to punch something. He hated himself for falling into Xehanort's trap and ruining his options. "So, where's our first stop?" he queried as he turned to Olette, surprised to see her compassionate expression.

"We'll start with the mirror in the Ise Shrine, tomorrow."

* * *

_**A/N: **Hope you liked the chapter!_

**_Special thanks:_**_ , Evil Dark Knight, Gohan Roxas, and KaUiA for the kind words. And a special thanks to greypurpleblack for beta-ing the chapter!_

_If you think things are bad now, just wait. ;D_

_See you in the next chapter and don't forget to leave a review before you leave._


	4. The Nymph

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait! Hopefully, this chapter will get you excited for what's to come.

* * *

~4~  
The Nymph

_ KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Kairi? You in there?" Riku yelled as he continued knocking on the apartment door. She had to be home – her lectures wouldn't start until the afternoon. "I'm going to see Sora. You wanna come along?" he continued to yell, finding it weird that the red head hasn't answered yet. She must have still been sleeping. He couldn't blame her; it had been a stressful few days. He let out a sigh as he reached into his pocket and got out the spare key. Sora gave it to him after he moved in to the apartment, just in case. "Sorry, Kairi," he muttered as he stuck the key into the lock and entered the apartment. "Hey, Kairi! Kairi?" He was met with silence. He stepped into the bedroom and didn't see her sleeping form, and no one was in the bathroom. He searched the apartment up and down and found it suspiciously empty. He saw that her school bag, which still contained ungraded term papers, was sitting by her computer. Something was going on, and he didn't like it.

Then his eyes caught something he hadn't noticed before. A flash drive sat in front of the computer's keyboard. As soon as the silver haired man saw it, he knew it didn't belong to Kairi.

"What do we have here?" he hummed as he turned on her computer and briefly waited for it to start up. He then stuck the flash drive into an available USB slot and saw a video file pop up on the screen. His breath hitched at the sight of the aging old man with a grey goatee staring up at him.

"Hello, Riku. I'd imagine that you would break in just to see if the dear doctor was all right." The silver haired man glared at Xehanort's face. "But if it is you that is receiving this, then you know exactly what has happened. I'm warning you, if you do so much as follow us, she will be dead along with your friend." The silver haired man would've scoffed at the screen, but the old man started to laugh in amusement. "But something tells me that you'll ignore this anyway and try to rescue them. You are too predictable, Estheim. I'll tell you what: if you succeed in rescuing the doctor, I won't go after either of you. There's a file attached in this flash drive that should lead you to where I am. And one more thing: don't bother going after Sora. He has already agreed to work for me again, regardless of the outcome. Good luck, Riku. You will certainly need it."

The screen went black as Riku scoffed.

"I doubt Sora would give up that easily," he muttered as he sat down and, after going through the flashdrive's memory, found the file Xehanort was talking about. It was a set of numbers, instantly recognizable as latitude and longitude coordinates. He went on to the internet and typed the numbers in. He looked at the map that popped up and smirked.

"Japan, huh? He doesn't remember who he's messing with."

* * *

Kairi hated this feeling.

The feeling of being trapped, useless. She couldn't do anything. She was heavily monitored, so if she did something crazy, they'd know in a heartbeat.

The room she was in was nice. It had traditional Japanese furniture, save for the computer sitting on top of the desk. It would've been a lot nicer if the guards weren't stationed outside her door.

This must've been what Naminé felt two years ago. The only difference was that Kairi was being used so that her boyfriend would do her kidnapper's bidding. A terrible feeling washed over her. Sora was brought into this so he could protect her from the outside. Seeing his face, washed with fear for her safety, made her feel just as afraid. At any moment, Xehanort would deem her useless and do away with her. Worst of all, he would do the same with Sora as soon as he wasn't needed.

The door knocked a couple of times before it opened and the man responsible for her being there stepped in with that grin on his face.

"Doctor Farron, I hope the accommodations are to your liking," Xehanort's gravely voice penetrated the silence. She stayed silent but sent a heated glare at the old man, letting him know that she wasn't weak. "No need to give me that look. I'm doing you a favor by keeping you here." She held in a growl, resisting every urge to slug him. He walked over to the computer and swiped his finger on top of the thin screen. "Technology is amazing, isn't it? Back in my day, we didn't have anything like this. As security is getting more advanced by the day, we need something to counter that. But sometimes we still need to do things the old fashion way to get what we want. Like museum theft, for instance."

At the mention of museum theft made the red head think of Sora and the incredible amount of guilt she felt for him. Xehanort must've caught her line of thinking as he let out a slight laugh. "Must be love if you're worried about _him_ of all people. But what I find most amazing is how you were able to do it. He was bullet proof when I hardened him, yet you broke through that shell. What's your secret?"

She gritted her teeth. She'd fallen into his trap and hadn't realized it until that moment.

"I treated him like a human being," she answered in a harsh whisper.

"Is that right? You've certainly done a good job of that. Too bad it won't be long until I harden him again. This time though, I'll make it so he doesn't even remember you."

"It won't work," she asserted confidently.

"You think so? We'll have to see about that," he replied with confidence. "We shall see who's right by the end. The computer is your only connection to him. You may use it anytime you like, but only to provide him information," he added with warning in his tone as he walked toward the door. "Good evening."

Kairi didn't know whether or not that was a trap, but she didn't care. She wanted to talk to Sora and she wanted him to answer her questions. Without hesitating, she got up from her perch and started up the computer. She saw that there was only a video conference icon with only one contact. She clicked on the icon and waited impatiently.

She let out a breath of air as soon as she saw Sora's face. Somehow, seeing him calmed her down and made her almost forget her encounter with that horrible man.

"Kairi!" the brunette exclaimed as soon as he saw her, concern written all over his face. "Is _he_ there?"

"No. He just left," she responded while she watched a calm wave cross his face.

"What's going on over there? How can you contact me?" he asked.

"He let me have a computer so I can provide information for you," she explained. "Sora, he's a lot worse than what they described on the news."

A grimace traced his eyes. "I know."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You don't deserve to know that." Confusion crossed her mind; what did he mean by that? "Kairi, look where I'm coming from. I've seen a lot of hell because of him, and it's because I don't want to see that look on your face that I never told you," he reasoned, earning him a sympathetic look from her.

"Sora..." Kairi trailed as her chest tightened. "I wish I could be with you."

"The same." She watched his face become conflicted. She imagined that he must've felt the same as she. "You said that he gave you a computer so you can give us information?"

"Yeah."

"What can you tell us about the Three Sacred Treasures?"

She lifted an eyebrow at his question. "Not much to tell. They were gifts to the first Emperor of Japan from the sun Goddess, Amaterasu. They've been passed down from Emperor to Emperor ever since."

"That's what Nabaat said."

"Nabaat?"

"Yeah, this girl he saddled me with." Kairi didn't know how to feel about that, but his concern over the red head from earlier squashed any delusions she may have had. "So what else can you tell me?"

She was brought out of her thinking by his question as she started thinking about the treasures.

"Can I get back to you? I'll have to do research first."

"I meant with you," he said, and she was touched by his sincerity.

"He's trying to make things comfortable for me, but I have a feeling that it's just a front. Any advice?"

"Yeah. Don't listen to a word he says. Whatever promises he made you, he is not intending to keep. Unless it's to kill you." She swallowed at that thought. "I'll look for you, Kairi. And I'll get you out of this mess. That's a promise."

It was an empty promise, she knew that, but the fact that he was trying to make her feel better was enough to calm her nerves. She loved him enough to believe every word he said and knew that he would keep his promise.

* * *

"This is amusing," a smirk crossed Xehanort's face. In his surveillance room, he watched the exchange between the doctor and his subordinate take place. The two never figured out that he could watch them have their private conversations through a hacked network. He found that very amusing.

"I'll say. Look how pathetic she is now," he heard the snarky female voice say beside him. He could tell that she meant the puppy-dog look that the two were giving each other.

"I assume that you are enjoying this."

"You got that right. Suffice to say, my revenge is going to be sweet."

"You're just as cold as ever," Xehanort noted.

"I have you to thank for that."

"Too bad our old friend doesn't see that way anymore."

"I'm not worried."

He lifted a brow.

"And why is that?"

"As soon as he gets a taste of this life again, he's going to dump her in a heart beat."

A smirk crawled on his wrinkled lips. "Not likely."

"You don't think it would happen?"

"I know it won't happen," he stated flatly. "One thing you have to understand, Raelen, is that love is a powerful thing."

"Love? Please. Love is a bug that can be squashed." He heard her snicker and he could feel that dangerous smirk cross her lips almost immediately. "And I go by Larxene now."

He let out an amusing 'hmph.' "The Organization gave you that name?"

"Yup. Gotta say, loved the benefits."

"And yet you picked up on my trail pretty quickly."

"You know I hate being bored," she sighed as a wicked idea crossed her mind. "I think I'll go see her now."

"Not yet."

She halted in her step. "And why not?"

"She's Sora's reason to keep going. If anything happens to her... Lets say that I trained him well."

Larxene let out an un-lady like grunt. "He'll never find us."

"Don't underestimate him."

She merely scoffed at the old man, but that didn't mean he wasn't right.

* * *

"Thanks, Cid," Riku yelled as he opened the door and looked at the ground below him. The wind blew at him in fierce speed as the clouds floated gently beside them. Riku didn't want to think about how cold the air had to be at this altitude, but jumping out of the small plane was the only way to go unnoticed.

"Tell Sora that he owes me now," he heard Cid's voice over the planes engine and the loud wind.

"Sure. After I kick his ass," he yelled back as he got himself ready for the jump.

"Make that for the two of us."

The silver haired man chortled.

"Will do." With that, he jumped out of the plane. The wind rushing past him and deafening his surroundings. He gave himself time to be awestruck by the horizon while the clouds rushed through him. The cold air bit at his exposed face as if an ice pick went through it. That didn't matter though; he was more concerned with pulling the cord at the right moment.

He pulled it after he saw he was in the same range as the mountains. He felt the tug of the parachute pull him back with a sharp jerk, allowing the wind pass through him and gently guide his parachute to the ground.

As soon as he landed, he took the sky diving gear off and revealed his winter gear along with a concealed backpack. He unzipped the bag and took out his portable GPS locator with the coordinates already entered. Fortunately, his calculations were right, and he managed to land at the spot where, on the other side of the mountain, Xehanort's lair lay.

"All right, Xehanort. It's game time."

* * *

**A/N:** Another short chapter but there's action in the next.

Soooo... Sorry for the long delay. I've been really busy and so has my beta-reader. Now with summer vacation under way, I should be able to get more chapters done. I've started this series and goddammit I'm gonna finish it!

**Special thanks:** Gohan Roxas, KaUiA, Kazernsky, Moon Princess016, Evil Dark Knight, Pennan Inque, Vesa290, Peach, CorycianAngel1944, and a special thanks to greypurpleblack for beta-ing the chapter.

Don't forget to leave a review and be sure to check out my Tumblr page!

Much love!


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